Installation of the Relic of St. Anthony of PaduaBy Edmund Lim
Worship coordinator (2011-2015)

On June 13th, 2015, our parish will receive a first class relic of our beloved patron Saint Anthony of Padua and Lisbon in the Fiesta Mass of our Church. It was precisely a year ago, when I jokingly told my aunt if it is at all possible for our parish Santuario De San Antonio to have a relic of St Anthony similar to what I saw in his birth place in Lisbon and his resting place in the Basilica Padua. Little did I know that my aunt began asking her friends in Rome and through the good graces of our saint, we got not one but two relics sent to us for our veneration.

What is a Relic?
A relic is something connected with a saint or blessed, including a part of their body (e.g. hair or a piece of bone), their clothing, or an object that the person used or touched.

Relics are classified as 1st Class – a part of the person’s body, for example: blood, hair, or bones; 2nd Class ‑ an article touched by the person or touched directly to part of his or her body; and 3rd Class ‑ something touched indirectly to the person, that is, to a 1st or 2nd Class relic, to the tomb, etc.

“In all, relics remind us of the holiness of a saint and his cooperation in God’s work; at the same time, relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that saint and to beg the grace of God to live the same kind a faith-filled life.” (Saunders)

Looking forward, we hope that the arrival of St Anthony will deepen our devotion to our patron saint and pray that we can become a shrine to our most beloved saint and live up to our theme, “We care because we pray.”